CFUW 114: The Music Room

[cfuw_shepherd]

[there is the sound of a piano. the air feels dim and heavy . . .]

[Luka is sitting on a small couch, swaying back and forth and listening as Christian plays]

Comments

[bitchester]

[...]

What's going on?

[cfuw-shepherd.livejournal.com]

You lost the game.

[bitchester]

[... going for knife again!]

[cfuw-shepherd.livejournal.com]

[How sad you seem to have been disarmed in the meantime]

The evens and odds game, I mean.

[bitchester]

Yeah—I don't have a problem with short term memory.

This isn't what I thought you had in mind after that stunt.

[cfuw-shepherd.livejournal.com]

...What did you think I had in mind?

[hops off the bench and approaches him]

[cfuw-shepherd.livejournal.com]

[Christian turns slightly towards you, watching the exchange as he plays]

[bitchester]

—Christian, right? Are you all right?

[cfuw-shepherd.livejournal.com]

...

[he doesn't seem to know how to answer that]

Under the circumstances, "all right" is a little...

[bitchester]

... Not the right question.

Can you tell me what's going on? B—

[pauses]

—Kallen doesn't know. But we're trying. Were you trapped in this house, even after it was over?

[cfuw-shepherd.livejournal.com]

Kallen...? Who is that, may I ask?

[pauses for a particular flourish of the song.]

No. I was not trapped in this house. I was... elsewhere.

[bestest]

[... ahhhh!!!]

Christian!

[cfuw-shepherd.livejournal.com]

Master Shuri...

[his hands hesitate on the keys, then he continues playing almost without a break]

[bestest]

Ohhhh, you remember me.

[cfuw-shepherd.livejournal.com]

[Christian glances uneasily at Luka, and continues playing as he talks]

I remember you. Thank you for everything, before.

[bestest]

[... also glancing at Luka :/ hmmm]

Of course; likewise...

[cfuw-shepherd.livejournal.com]

Hi, Shuri.

[bestest]

...Hello!

[cfuw-shepherd.livejournal.com]

Come sit with me?

[bestest]

[... complies]

I thought you didn't really care about Christian.

[cfuw-shepherd.livejournal.com]

[running down the stairs]

Luka! Luka!

[cfuw-shepherd.livejournal.com]

Elli? What's wrong?

[cfuw-shepherd.livejournal.com]

[cheeks flushed]

What are you doing?!

[gesturing at Shuri and Sam]

That's against the rules!

[cfuw-shepherd.livejournal.com]

They agreed to it... to make a bet.

[cfuw-shepherd.livejournal.com]

You still can't—you have to play by the rules! You agreed . . .